Insulating end post



E- SCHERMERHORN AND W. P. THOMSON.

INSULATING END POST.

APPLICATION FILED 050.20, 1919.

1 76,647 Patented May 3, 1921.

lwuemtow UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQE.

EDWARDS F. SCHERMERHORN, OF BROOKLYN, AND WILLIAM PATON THOMSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

INSULATING END POST.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 3, 1921.

Application filed December 20, 1919. Serial No. 346,223.

citizens of the United States, residing, re-

spectively, at Brooklyn and New York, in the county of Kings and New York and State of New York and New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulating End Posts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the subject of insulation for rail joints and more particularly to a novel construction of insulator for rail joints employed as the end post insulation between the abutting ends of therails.

Insulators of the end post type are quite frequently exposed and subject to the destructive forces of the pounding car wheels passing over the joint. This primarily is due to the fact that ordinarily the insulatingend post for insulated rail joints is of the cross-sectional area and contour of the adjoining rail ends with its head member of normal width and height and lying flush or nearly flush with the running surface of the rails so that in case of wearing of the rails or joint parts the head of the end post becomes exposed to the crushing pressure of the car wheels. This crushing pressure results in causing the fiber to fracture and split allowing moisture to enter and thereby quickly impairs the durability of the fiber and its proper functioning as an insulation between the rail ends. Furthermore, the effect of the head of the end post being exposed directly to the pounding of the'car wheels. is that the blows imparted to the head of the end post are in turn transmitted thereby to the side plates of insulation in that type of joints where such insulation is placed between the undersides of the head of the rails and the joint bars, thereby impairing or injuring said side plates of in- -sulation.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is to provide a modified c0nnovel formation of insulator or end post so that it will be relieved from undue pressure not only from the car wheels but also from the joint bars.

Another desirable feature and object of the invention is to provide a head formation for the end post which will insure water drainage whereby water will be directed off to the sides of the joint and will not be permitted to settle in the space lying above the end post between the ends of the adjacent rai s.

With these and other objects in viewwhich will be appreciated by those familiar with this art the invention consists in the Figure 1 is a detail perspective view of the insulating end post for rail joints modified in its design to carry-out all of the objects of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a face elevation of the end post of Fig. 1 shown in its operative relation to the rail section to which it is applied, said rail section appearing in end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification, embodying the essential features and principles of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3 illustrating another modification having the essential features and functions of the invention.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The modified ,end post construction contemplated by-the present invention differs primarily from the ordinary end post in the particular of having a less cross-sectional area than the ordinary end post for a given rail section, while at the same time being so shaped as not only to be relieved itself from crushing pressure from the car wheels, but also whereby it will not transmit the car wheel blows to other parts of the insulation in the joint. ,Various end post formations may be designed to carry out these features am functions and by way of illustration reference is first made to the construction of end post shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. This end post may be made of indurated fiber or any insulating material available and suitable for the purpose and includes the usual relatively narrow web member 1, the head member 2, and the base member 3 formed with the usual laterally extending base flanges 4. Said Various members 1, 2, 3 and 4 provide a body corresponding substantially and approximately to the cross-sectional shape of a rail end. In adapting the improvements of the present invention to an insulator or end post of the form indicated it is proposed, in the construction shown, to have the head member 2 of the end post body of less depth vertically than the head of the rail to which it is applied. This is accomplished by providing the head member 2 with a reduced top clearance edge 5 formed by cutting away the top edge portion of the insulator body sufficiently so that it will be d1sposed definitely a sufficient distance below the running surface of the rail so as not to be exposed to the pounding action of the car wheels. In the-particular form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the cut-away or reduced edge portions 55 may be crowned or peaked to provide a centrally located peak 6 with the edges 5 sloping downwardly and outwardly from such peak, thereby making what may be termed a water shed which will effectually drain off water to the sides of the joint and prevent it from standing in the space above the top edge of the end post. [I

In cooperative relation to the reduced top clearance edge or' edges 5 of the end post' the head member 2 is further provided at the under sides thereof with the reduced clearance shoulders 7 provided by cutting away the under sides of. the head member 2 sufficiently sothat the edges or shoulders 7 will be disposed a distance above and away from the under sides of the head of the rail. The effect of this construction is to leave the under sides of the head member 2 of the end post out of contact with and clear of the side plates of insulation 8 which may be employed in the' joint, theseside plates of insulation being indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings. It is by reason of this construction and relation of parts that the end post even though subject to a car wheel blow will not communicate such blow to the side insulation of the joint, thus greatly improving the main tenance conditions in the joint.

In connection with the feature of providing the head member of the end post with reduced clearance shoulders-7, which are adapted to be out of contact with side pieces of insulation 8, it will be observed from Fig. 3 of the drawings that a detail of construction which may be resorted to is structure shown 1n Fig. 2 of the drawings wherein the reduced clearance shoulders 7 are provided by-rentrant angles made in the undersidesof the head member of the end post, leaving the bottom corners of said head member of the endpost substantially flush with the faces at the undersides of the rail heads. In Fig. 4 of. the drawings the plain formation of the head member of the end post is observed both .as to the reduced top clearance edge 5 and as to the reduced clearance shoulders 7 at the undersides of the head member of the post, but in all of the forms the head member of the end post has desirable features and functions above ex lained.

t has already been pointed out that the inventlon also contemplates a construction of end post wherein the same is relieved from the pressure of the joint bars,and in Fig. 2 of the drawings, that desirable result is accompllshed by providing the end post at the lnner corners of the upper side of its base member-3 with the reentrant clearance edges 10 which are disposed materially below the inner corner portions of the upper side of the ra1l flanges so that the splice bars cannot pinch or bind u on the end post edges in these locations. 11 this form of the inven-. tion it is to be noted that the reentrantclearance edges 10 will be useful in that type of joints where the splice bar has an easement above the outer portion of thebase flange of the rail. But, in cases where the splice bar has no easement over the upper surface of the base flange of the rail the base member of the end post body will have the upper edges 11 of its flanges (see Fig. 4) of reduced width throughout so that such edges will be disposed entirely below the entire upper surface of the base flanges of r sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

We claim 1. An insulating end post including a head member provided with reduced clearance edges at the. top and undersides thereof.

2. A insulating end post provided-With reduced clearance edges at the top and undersides of its head of its base member.

3. An insulating end post provided'with reduced clearance ortions at the undersides of its head mem er to provide easement from the head fiber of the joint.

a. An insulating end post provided at the underside of its head member with reentrant edges forming clearances from the head fiber of the joint and leaving the bottom corners of said head member substantially flush with the undersides of the head of the rail to which it is applied.

member and at the top 5. An insulating end post having a peaked top edge forming a water shed.

6. An insulating end post provided with rentrant clearance portions at the inner corners of the top edges of its base member.

7 An insulating end post having a head member provided at its top with a reduced top clearance-edge, at the undersides of its head member with rentrant reduced portions, and at the inner corners of the upper edges of its basemember with rentrant clearance portions. 7

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARDS F. SCHERMERHORN. WILLIAM PATON THOMSON.

Witnesses:

E. K. KERsHNnR, C. A. DISBROW. 

